Chronicle 2017

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Many people see dentistry as a prestigious
profession, or perhaps a lucrative one. Christina
McCord sees it as a fascinating balance between
science and art… a challenging combination of
physical skill and intellect.
But it was her taste for problem-solving and her
love of variety that caused her to fall in love with
the diagnostic side of dentistry. Her speciality, oral
pathology, overlaps with many others in the medical
profession, including pathology, otolaryngology and,
of course, dentistry.
“My job involves a little bit of everything,”
says Christina. “As an academic, I teach dentistry
students about oral diseases. I see patients in a
clinical setting. I perform small surgical procedures
and I also spend time at the microscope, doing
diagnostics and research.”
At her clinic in the London Health Sciences
Centre, Christina sees patients whose diseases run
the gamut from oral cancer to rare genetic diseases,
chronic pain problems, benign oral lesions and
chronic mucocutaneous conditions. She relishes
the feeling of puzzling through a diagnostic problem,
often turning to academic sources or colleagues
for help in learning about some rare condition. She
delivers educational talks to dentists and dental
hygienists, as well as to physicians who wish to
recognize and treat various oral conditions. At
Western University, she is an assistant professor
in the department of pathology and laboratory
medicine, and lectures mainly to dentistry students.
After graduating from Havergal in 2000, Christina
completed a in kinesiology at Dalhousie
University and a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) at
Western. She always knew that she wanted to work
in health care, but she didn’t discover her passion
until a wonderful professor in dental school gave her
a taste of what it would be like to become an oral
pathologist. The spark which this teacher ignited in
Christina prompted her to pursue specialty training
and an at the University of Toronto, and
continues to inspire her.
From her early days at Havergal in Grade 5,
Christina remembers the kindness of the other
students and the sense of community. She recalls
many great teachers, and also enjoyed the athletics
program at Havergal (she played basketball,
volleyball, softball and was on the swim team).
Though she saw herself as “an average person,”
she feels that Havergal pushed her to be her best
self. “That did wonders for me,” she says. “I’m so
grateful.”
She now lives with her husband and two young
children in London, Ontario, where her new role
as a working parent leaves her in awe of the many
women who mentored, guided and befriended her
despite the chaos of their own child-rearing years.
In addition, the friends whom she met at Havergal
remain some of the most important and cherished
friends that she has.
A taste for problem-solving
CHRISTINA McCORD 2000
Profile by Lisa Rossiter-Thornton 1995
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